Friday, April 24, 2015

Carol Sucloski's Lace Yarn Studio + A Giveaway

Many years ago when I was working the booth for CEY at a Stitches Market, an animated, friendly, and passionate knitter introduced herself as a "fan". This woman was named Carol Sucloski and I will always remember that meeting. I was impressed by her intelligence and humor, and her love for knitting and yarn. I had been in the yarn business for at least 15 years and was defintely jaded. She was just beginning to explore all that it had to offer. She was a lawyer by training and taking time off from her career to raise her 3 children. I think her passion for the law was being supplanted by her passion for knitting and yarn and color.

Fast forward a few years later to the days of the growing knitting community on the internet.... Carol and I kept in touch. She started a hand dyed yarn business called Black Bunny Fibers and had a very active blog called Go Knit In Your Hat. She did awesome book reviews which I always looked forward to because they were honest and very well written and researched. I was lucky to have 2 of my books reviewed on her site. Now it is a few more years later and Carol has become an author of 4 knitting books and many articles for many knitting magazines including Vogue Knitting and Yarn Market News. She is a popular teacher at different knitting events too. Carol and I still keep in touch and so I was happy to see her newest book called Lace Yarn Studio: Garments, Hats, and Fresh Ideas for Lace Weight Yarnswhich has just been published by Lark Books.

I will be honest with you all - because that is how I am. Carol has asked me to design for each of her books. They have all featured sock weight or very fine yarns. I have always declined because I personally do not care for knitting with such fine yarn. It's just not for me but I know it is for so many of you knitters out there. Lace weight yarns such as KidSilk Haze (Rowan), Silky Alpaca Lace (CEY), Manos' Lace, and more have incredible yardage and boast gorgeous fiber content. Knitting with these kinds of lace yarns is incredibly reasonable price wise because they will occupy a lot of your knitting time. Although the cost of the yarn may be high per ball, a project can take many hours so the cost per hour of enjoyment is very low. When I heard about Carol's new book Lace Yarn Studio featuring different projects using lace yarn, I jumped at the chance to feature it here.

Lace Yarn Studio begins with all you need to know about knitting with lace weight and fingering yarns. Needles to use, gauge, working with coned yarns which are typically used for weaving and knitting machines, fiber content, tips, blocking, yarn substitution, and more. The book is set up by number of skeins needed for a project. The amazing thing about working with lace weight yarns is some projects will call for a very small needle size. But then there are those which will use a needle much larger to create a lacey-airy project. There is a lot of versatility with lace weight yarns and Carol shows many beautiful projects.

I love these delicate cabled very long fingerless gloves with a ruched edging design above.

This beautiful cabled mini cowl is made of Kidsilk Haze in a lovely purple color. Stunning.

This scarf is a bit more "lace traditional" in its styling. It has a lace column edging and a lace diamond pattern that grows out of the columns. Very pretty.

This scarf design features hand-dyed lace yarn in two colors. This is an interesting way to use up odds and ends of yarns you can't bear to throw away or perhaps have not bought enough of. The green edging is knit vertically and then the main part of the shawl uses stitches that are picked up along the very long edge to create the larger brown section. You could make it larger and turn it into a pretty shawl to wear during the cooler days of summer.

This shawl uses a pretty stitch created with a lifted stitch to make floats of yarn giving a lovely texture to the finished fabric.

Lace weight yarns can also create a fabric which is more typically thought of as machine knit or ready to wear weight. Look at this incredible skirt above which has beads added in the knitting. Can you imagine the drape and hand it has? Pure luxury knit in coned Colrain Lace (50% merino, 50% tencel from Webs).

Lace Yarn Studio isn't all about the accessories. This very practical cardigan features some pleats for shaping. It is definitely a design that can move from day to evening and is incredibly versatile.

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So here is what I have for you all today. Lark Books, Carol's publisher, has donated two copies of Lace Yarn Studio. Two of you will be lucky to win this beautiful new book! Check out Carol's website where she sells her lovely yarns. Here's how you enter......Answer the following question in the comments: Tell me if you like knitting with fine yarns and why ORtell me what weight yarn you prefer to knit with and why.

For this contest there will be 2 lucky winners!Contest ends Monday April 27th at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. US Residents only. AS ALWAYS - PLEASE LEAVE AN EASY WAY TO GET A HOLD OF YOU - EMAIL, RAV, BLOGGER ID. US Residents only.Contest is over. Congrats to Lynette and Mary Kate. The book will be shipped to you once I receive your Post Office Mailing Address.

59 comments:

I like knitting lace weight. I just don't like wearing it. So fingering or DK weight yarns are my go-to's. Except I just bought for the first time, lace weight linen yarn. I suspect I will like wearing it. Rav: Jio

I like knitting with finer yarns (especially love sport weight) because smaller needles are more comfortable in my hands. Anything above a size 5 feels clunky. I should learn to knit continental style and probably wouldn't have this problem! Lace is a challenge but I love it - thanks!karenswb on Rav

I recently knit for the first time with Kidsilk Haze. It was a cowl that was entirely stockinette, except for a few rows of seed stitch at each end to keep it from curling. I love it! I had never knit with lace weight yarn and I really enjoyed it. I even bought another ball of Kidsilk Haze and a couple pattern books as well. I don't know if I have the skill to make anything in them, but one can dream, right??

I too don't knit much with lace weight. It frustrates me to no end. With that said, I had a dear friend bring some qiviut home from Alaska. I did make a scarf and a hat, but have a couple more skeins to knit. These patterns would be lovely! Honestly, lace weight is the weight I avoid! Might be time to change that a bit!ravid:nendy

Kristin, I think that you know that I love playing with colors via fair isle knitting. Fingering weight yarns are perfect for this, and the seeming intricacy of such designs really comes down to just using two colors on a row. (Three every so often.)

Lace weight yarn is something I've also explored in the past couple of years as I knit some traditional Shetland Hap shawls. I've learned a lot about this technique by following some excellent patterns, and now want to try to design some of my own.

The Lace Yarn Studio photographs that you've shown us, let me know that this book is a winner!

Hello Kristin,I prefer lite worsted/DK or finer for knits for me- I find I will wear the item more. With that, I have Strokkur, an Aran weigh Icelandic pullover on my needles, as a result of this past cold winter!Thank you,JoanneJohalley on RAV

I love to knit with fingering weight or sock yarn because of all the detail I can capture in a small space (or a large one). It's also about how much knitting I get for my money. Finally, knitting with thick yarn hurts my wrists and hands and I cannot do it for very long.

I love knitting with fine yarns for the very reason Kristin mentioned--a lot of entertainment value from one small skein. Even a relatively large stash of sock or lace yarn takes up very small volume. When I travel I like to pick out one skein of sock yarn as a sourvenir. Always room to tuck that in my suitcase to take home.

It took many years of knitting for me to discover lace weight yarns. I think I avoided them because it just seemed beyond me - following charts, etc. Fortunately I gave it a try and discovered I love it. Certainly the appearance of Ravelry and the exposure to so many beautiful designs and instruction via the internet has helped. I do prefer knitting with finer needles - I've enjoyed sock knitting for many years, but an occasional sweater or hat in a heavier gauge is always a welcome change! This book looks lovely, with a lot of variety. Thank you Kristin for the chance to add one to our knitting libraries.Lynda (lejaros@gmail.com

In the past I have been a little too intimidated by lace weight yarn to attempt much. I just ventured into sock weight yarn about a year ago and have enjoyed that more than I imagined, so with some hesitancy and perhaps a good motivation, I would like to try a small project.

I love knitting socks and have accomplished ONE lace weight shawl which I'm very proud of. I'd like to win this book to make a summer shawl for my daughter who is, sadly, allergic to wool. There are some lovely alpaca blends that will work for her. Just started your blog and am really enjoying it.

I like knitting with lace weight because it is so portable for travel. However only socks and lace-I go for a fatter yarn when it is stockinette, garter, cables, etc. I am waaaaaay too impatient - I want results! It's also nice to go back & forth. Ok -face it -all yarn is scrumptious & delicious & I am an equal opportunity knitter! LOL Book looks fantastic-would love to have!😀Rav ID: Ettenna

I prefer working with DK/worsted weight yarns, but I do have a cowl on the needles in a lace weight. I like working with this yarn (much to my surprise), but, it takes practice to work the finer stitches so that I don't loose one. I'd love to try a more challenging project in the future.

I have found that the longer I've knitted, the more I've begun to gravitate towards finer yarns. In a yarn store, I may try to be as aimless as possible, but my hands will gravitate more and more to skeins that are finer and silkier, which seems to be hand in hand so often. It's not just that I'm attracted to the finer yarns in the skein. I also like a fabric that has more drape. In addition, having more yardage for your buck is always a great thing, since I'm a process knitter.Rav: kbryson77

I love knitting with all weights of yarn, although I do find chunky yarns and cotton hard on my hands. I love knitting with lace weight for some of the reasons you stated: I love the drapey fabric,and the economy of getting lots of knitting time with lace weight. This is definitely a book I will check out.

Fingering weight has been my yarn of choice since 2009 because I've had a passion for knitting sox.By now my sock drawers are filled with more than forty pair of sox.Hubby has more than twenty. Many pair have been gifted to family and friends.During this span I seem to have collected my share of lace weight. I have a couple for lace-weight projects in mind. Just have to make the plunge.Would enjoy Carol's book for all the info it appears she has included.hugs 'n smiles,Gerry

I have never knit with fine yarns so I don't really know if I would like to or not. Worsted weight is my favorite but I am loving the socks I am knitting (AWS...as we speak) in your Regia Springtime that I purchased from you! It IS magic!Love your blog and I love color so I will probably HAVE to have your new book eventually too!

I definitely like knitting with lace, fingering or sport weight yarns, as I think the garments I make feel great with these weights. I live in Virginia, which gets cold, but is not like living in a northern state, so the lighter weight is more versatile here as well. Judy W

Hi Kristin,First off my confession: I don't like bulky/chunky yarns. Sure, they knit up quickly but in my humble opinion aren't that attractive.So that takes me to lighter weights. Considering that I've got needle sets down to 00000 - well, that should tell you something.I love the detail possible with fine yarns and enjoy adding beads when possible. That allows me to indulge two of my passions at once - knitting and beading. That looks like a lovely book and thank you so much for offering it to some lucky knitter!Roxanne RASmartWay@gmail.com

I like to knit with fine yarns because I've just started knitting lacy garments and I'm LOVING IT! I also knit a LOT of socks and although I occasionally gift a pair, I prefer to make them for myself. I'm currently working with Kidsilk Haze and doing a pattern out of a Victorian lace knitting book. I love knitting books! Thank you for the opportunity. I am theresa326 on ravelry.

I'm a light-weight myself... Fingering is probably my favorite but lace is a very close second. I'm particularly fond of the "bang for my buck" factor you mentioned. I have some of Carol's beautiful yarn and her other "Studio" book and I've been drooling over this one since its release. Thanks to you and the publisher for the chance to win!

I've preferred knitting mostly with worsted-wight yarn and bulkier because I don't have tons of knitting experience -- I crochet more. But I am trying to do more with lighter weight yarns because my goals is to knit socks! I actually just made my first pair, but they were worsted weight wool.

Before last year and Laura Nelkin's MClub, I didn't really want to try fine yarns because I associated them with small needles. Small needles and me don't really get along well. But all the fine yarns and designs ended up using size 5 needles - which I find comfortable. I have also found that the type of needle, wood or metal, makes a huge difference. Glad I tried-opened up what has become my favorite yarns. Thanks for the chance to win!

Fingering weight is my favorite yarn to knit with. I'm not sure why but it may have to do with the fact that I like super-pointy needles and usually have to go down at least one size to get gauge as I knit very, very loosely. I do have a stash of lace weight yarn and like to crochet scarves with it.schorknit is my Ravelry ID

I am just a beginning knitter but am attracted to the fine yarns because of the delicacy they lend to patterns. I come from a knitting family and remember folks knitting things with fine (I think cotton) yarns, such as baptismal caps and doilie-like items and always admired the beautiful intricacy and delicacy of such things.

I would love to win one of the books as i am learning and assembling a little library of my own... anyway, thanks for your blog very fun and informative!Best REgards,Bunny(verdantgreenery@gmail.com)

I've mostly knitted on sport weight and worsted. I don't know if I prefer them since I haven't knitted with lace weight. This book looks lovely. Beautiful photos and the projects are wonderful. I'd enjoy taking a stab at lace knitting with a book like that! Thanks for the giveaway.

I like knitting with dk or sport weight yarn. It is thick enough to produce a finished garment quickly and thin enough that the fabric it produces is lightweight and pleasant to the touch. That said, I just knit fingerless gloves for my niece and I might have to make a pair for myself! They feel delicious and are like wearing dragonfly wings.Mary Kate pwitry@rcn.com

I love knitting with lace weight yarn. The trick for me is find finding the right size needles and gauge for a lovely drape and there's no way to know how it will look without knitting up a swatch of two or three.

I think my favorite is fingering weight, it is so versatile for sweaters and accessories, but I'm just starting a lace weight project and it already is looking lovely, so I may become a convert! I'm kleinwitz on rav...

I was going to say I tend not like the fine or bulky yarns but that is not true. I recently finished a lopi sweater and loved the knitting. Basically I just love wonderful yarn be it skinny or fat! It is true that I tend towards the middle with fingering to worsted weight. I have lots of weaving yarn that would be fine for knitting. This book has lots of neat patterns. Thanks for the giveaway. gnlmutti at gmail.com

Looks like a fabulous book! Thanks for the chance. Just getting back into knitting after a decade or so and am enjoying. Am working on a lace-work shawl which I am loving and I want to learn to knit sox. And I love knitting with linen yarn.

Oh that book looks wonderful. I love knitting with lace & fingering. I love knitting shawls & scarfs and prefer fingering for gloves/fingerless gloves. Also- I like lighter weight yarns for sweaters. I think it makes them easier for layering. Also- it adds less bulk. Thanks for the opportunity!b-girl on ravelry or bacooper8 on yahoo

I've finally learned after years and years of knitting that I like fine yarns and repetition. My favorite sweaters have been knit on size three needles or smaller. And, while I can do cables and lace and all sorts of crazy stitches—simple,easy-to-memorize patterns suit me best.

I love knitting lacy shawls with fine yarns. It really engages my brain to see the intricate patterns emerge from the needles. I also like to block lace pieces and see how the pattern tidies up nice and neat. I'm a mechanical engineer by vocation, and knitting with fine yarns seems to combine art, technology, and mathematics. Rav ID: SnowyMtnKnitter

About Me

I am an author and artist specializing in surface design including the disciplines of ceramics, textiles, needlework, knitwear, stitchery, and interior design. The thread that holds my work together is color and pattern. I live in western Massachusetts, USA in a 1751 farmhouse with my husband Mark and daughter Julia on a farm along with over 250 sheep, chickens, cats and dogs.

Copyright Kristin Nicholas 2006 - 2019

All words and photos are copyright by Kristin Nicholas. Please do not use my original photos or reprint my writing without asking me for permission. Please make sure you credit me as Photographer and link back to this blog. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me - my contact info is on the left sidebar. Thank you!